A basic Hema, but in an amazing location. It's on the corner of a major street but only one door is…read moreopen for entrance and exit. The layout was a bit odd. The products are the same as in all the Hemas. A nice store. A good place to stay warm in while you're waiting for the next tram.

The store is lovely and a lot of space with many designer stores inside. I went to the Louis…read morevuitton store and was assisted by Tesa. She was really patient and assisted me on my many visits

De Bijenkorf Rotterdam is one of the largest department stores in the city, located a short walk…read moreaway from Stadhuis, on Coolsingel, it is located in a very impressive building, opening in 1956. It is a high-end department store chain, with the same ownership as Selfridge and Co in the UK, the stores do appear to be very similar to what I'm used to with Selfridge and Co back home, especially in terms of the appearance of the exterior. The main difference for me is the absence of a Food Hall (This particular location does have a Cafe though). The upmarket prices and vibes remain in most areas of the store, I do find some of the store's clothing sections to have vibes most similar to a market, rather than an upmarket department store though. The staff are very friendly and offer good service, with good product knowledge to explain beauty and fragrance products in detail, with benefits when appropriate. It is over multiple levels, with a decent number of escalators/lifts, and toilet facilities. A large department store with good service and a good selection of products, certainly worth a browse when looking to shop or kill some time in Rotterdam. 4*

Alexandrium Shopping Center is a decent-sized shopping centre in Rotterdam, around 8 km from…read moreCentraal station but easily accessed by public transportation, with Metro and Intercity train links offered. Parts of the centre are currently undergoing a major refurbishment (December 2022), but considering this, they're doing a good job to keep the disturbance to a minimum, with shops and restaurants remaining open. They have a good selection of shops including Albert Heijn, Etos, Foot Locker, G-Star Raw, H&M, Holland and Barrett, JD and many others. While there isn't the typical American fashion mall food court, there are a number of places to eat and drink here, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Cinnabon, Bagel and Beans and a potato place, as well as several other choices. The mall is pretty easy to follow, there is also a bridge which connects to the car park as well as a separate part of the mall which is much more modern and high-end, mainly consisting of furniture stores. The toilets were surprisingly clean for a mall too. 4* - A good mall with a good selection of places to shop and eat, while it may not have the Westfield factor, it is a good alternative if you don't want to travel too far out of Rotterdam's centre.

I love HEMA. Anytime I come to The NL, I zero in on where the closest HEMA is because I know I can…read morefind what I need there. Sure, it's not the highest quality or the most expensive, but it's one stop shopping with a decent little cafe. Staff are usually willing and able to answer my questions in English too - always a bonus. If you are from the US, you can compare HEMA to Fred Meyer or Target (...maybe just a little nicer than Target).

HEMA is a favorite of mine. Very low prices for a dinner (2,50) or breakfast (1,-). Quality is…read moregood and there are always some nice seats available. And it is a good place to watch people.

Convenient if you need to pick up something that you forgot at home (like once I needed to buy a…read moreblack shirt at the last minute before a concert) but they have a sort of random assortment of items on sale and the prices are a bit higher than they are for the same merchandise at a normal Hema store. The service can be slow so keep that in mind if you've only got 5 minutes until your train leaves.